Virulent Affair
by zenzombievanna
Summary: Daryl comes across a traveling brother/sister duo. Though his trust for them is limited, he finds himself intrigued by the girl's outlook on the current world situation.
1. Chapter 1

The forest was a blur around Jenna as she sprinted through the shrubbery and dodged trees. She could hear her feet thudding against the ground accompanied by her brother's footsteps. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the stranger's group would realize that he hadn't returned from his scavenging trip and that no excuse they gave them would matter once they found him dead. James, her older brother, had never even swatted a fly in their life before shit hit the fan, and now his knuckles were bloody and raw from beating a man to death. Once they were sure they had put enough distance between them and their old camp, they stopped for a moment to take a drink from their last water bottle.

"Just let me look at it, Jimmy" she panted when she saw him look down at his trembling hand. He just shook his head and wrapped the hand in a dirty t-shirt.

"We ain't got much sun left. If we don' wanna be vulnerable, we gotta find one of them old barns." His eyes wandered over the thick forest and he let out a sigh. Jenna had been interested in photography ever since she could remember and their mother had always bothered her to go out to the country and take photos of the old barns. She tightened her grip on the camera bag she never let out of her sight as she took a look at their surroundings as well.

"I know where we are" she mumbled jerking her head to her right, "There's an old barn maybe twenty minutes from here. Momma dragged me out here a couple years ago…"

She trailed off when she saw the look on James's face at the mention of their mother. He pushed past her angrily and started cutting down the shrubbery that was in his way with his machete. The whole way to the barn, Jenna was beating herself up for mentioning their mother to James; she knew it upset him. Nearly a year had passed since they last saw their mother and it wasn't a pretty picture to remember. James never got over what they saw in Atlanta and any mention of the woman they had failed to save made him uncomfortable. Luckily for her, she had overestimated how far the barn was. After making sure the small building was free of roamers, they moved to the loft and made beds from the old straw left there by the previous owners. James had moved to the small window in the loft and stared out to the now dark night sky seemingly deep in thought when Jenna decided to address his detachment to their dead mother.

"We can't just act like she never existed" she mumbled making James turn to face her, "She may be dead, but we can't let her memory die, too."

"Shut up" was all he replied. Jenna bit her lip nervously as she stood to her feet not taking her eyes off of his.

"I can't be walkin' on eggshells around you anymore, Jim." She continued, "If I wanna talk about her, I'm gonna do it. She was our mother—"

She was cut off when James slapped her hard across the face.

"I said _shut up_."

Her cheek was hot and she could feel tears welling up making her eyes sore. Just as she was about to reply, a loud gunshot rang in the air around them. Frozen with fear, Jenna stared out of the small window half expecting someone to crawl through it. James seemed to worry the same thing; she saw him tighten his grip on the machete.

"How far off do you think they are?" Jenna whispered not daring to pull her gaze away from the direction of the gunfire. James shrugged.

"Hard to tell. It was only one shot, so it was probably someone takin' out a roamer." He sighed and went to lie in his makeshift bed. Though her cheek was still hot and her mind still focused on the people who fired the gun, Jenna followed his lead and went to bed though she would spend most of the night awake and frightened of every noise made outside.

When morning came, Jenna let out a sigh of relief; she had survived another night. But, how many more would there be? How much longer could she just barely get by? The world had changed and the people had changed with it, even James. With these thoughts clouding her mind, she casted a nervous glance at her still slumbering brother and sat up slowly. The mystery of the lone gunshot was still nagging in the back of her mind. It must have been this that made her absent-mindedly wander into the forest surrounding the musty barn they had holed up in. Just as she reached the point of hearing what she believed to be voices arguing, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned quickly only to see James glowering down at her.

"It ain't smart to be out here by yourself" he grumbled, "I shouldn't have to keep an eye on you—"

"Who the hell're you?" a gruff voice interrupted and Jenna turned to see a crossbow aimed right in her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Jenna could feel James's eyes burning a hole in her back; he was blaming her for their current situation. In that moment, she would have welcomed an arrow from the man who had now taken them prisoner. Though she found it hard to believe that they wouldn't have been found if she hadn't left the barn, she knew that they would have had some sort of warning of a foreign presence, and that was why James was feeling so much disdain toward her. The lengthy and silent walk through the trees wasn't really helping her anxiety either.

When they reached where the forest ended and a large clearing began, Jenna could feel her heart about to jump out of her chest. It wasn't long before two other men and a blonde woman ran over to see what their apparent guard had brought them. A gruff sigh came from behind her and as soon as she met the blue eyes of the man in what looked to be a cop's uniform, she knew there was nothing to worry about anymore.

"I found 'em wanderin' 'round the woods out by the old barn. After what that little shit" he pointed at a large barn across the field, "and his friends pulled in town, I didn't wanna chance 'em bein' with his old group."

"Good thinkin', Daryl" the cop replied grabbing zip-ties from the other man. Jenna scanned their surroundings while they were binding their hands.

"You guys were the ones who fired that gun last night" she whispered in a matter-of-fact tone. James was moving to tell her to be quiet when the cop nodded. Jenna furrowed her brow as he moved to bind James's hands and continued, "Was it a roamer? Are they as bad out here as they are in Atlanta—"

"Jenna, shut up!" James's sudden outburst startled everyone.

"What happened to your hand?" the cop asked when after he had already tied James's hands together. James just shrugged and looked away.

"He asked you a question!" the man with the shaved head shouted making Jenna cringe. She didn't know what the guy in the barn did to them, but it seemed to have left a bad taste in their mouths when it came to newcomers.

"He punched a wall." Jenna said softly, "In the barn we were sleepin' in. He had a nightmare and punched the wall."

The night was pitch dark and the sounds of the boy they had come to know as Randall's heavy breathing. From the looks of his face and maimed leg, he hadn't had a good time since meeting these people. Her curiosity of what they had done to him was peaking and it seemed that James was feeling the same way.

"What the hell'd they do to you anyway?" James asked suddenly when they were all made aware that none of them were sleeping. She heard Randall draw in a breath which was followed by a violent cough and a wheeze. He spit out whatever it was he hacked up and cleared his throat.

"That psycho with the crossbow laid me out" Randall answered with a humourless laugh, "They were gonna kill me but I was lucky enough to have the sheriff's kid walk in right when he was gonna shoot me. He didn't want his son watchin', so they're tryin' to figure out what to do with me."

"They said somethin' about you and your old group in town" James replied as soon as Randall was finished, "What happened?"

"Don't matter."

"Yes, it does" Jenna interjected, "Whatever it is that y'all did, they're still feelin' raw about it and that's why my brother and I are stuck in here with you."

There was a still silence as Randall stared into the darkness trying to find the dark silhouettes of his company. He wanted to know who he was talking to before he started in on the story, but it was done in vain; he couldn't see a thing. Deciding that if he was going to die, it didn't matter what people thought of him anymore. Whether these new people would think badly of him after telling them what happened in town or not, wasn't any concern of his anymore. So, he told them what had happened: how he was with the men who were shooting at Rick, Glenn, and Hershel, how he had been left for dead by his own people, and now the group just didn't know if they could trust him. Even in the pitch black of the night, Jenna could feel that James shared their concern.

"But, I would never do Maggie or her family like that. Ever." Randall finished off, "It wasn't my idea to shoot at 'em, I swear it. I've seen alotta shit since the world went to hell, but I ain't changed. Just felt like I needed to stick with the people I's with to survive, ya know?"

Neither replied and the silence was excruciating for all three of them. None knew what their fate would be in the morning. It seemed that Randall had more to fear from them than James or Jenna. But, with James's newfound temper, Jenna figured that it was only a matter of time before he pissed someone off and doomed them both to end up like Randall. After a long while, Randall and James were fast asleep and Jenna followed soon after. Her peaceful slumber seemed to only last a moment before Jenna felt someone shake her. She opened her eyes slowly to see the blonde woman from the day before leaning over her.

"Get up, you're comin' with me" the woman said in a hushed tone as she helped Jenna to her feet. Mind full of confusion, Jenna stood up and glanced back at the still slumbering James wondering if she would ever see her brother again.

"What's goin' on?" Jenna murmured when she felt the woman kid the binds on her wrists.

"It's been decided that you're not a threat."

"What about my brother?"

The woman seemed taken aback at the fact that James was her brother. Her bright blue irises met Jenna's green hues; she seemed to be rethinking the decision to let her go.

"It's nothin' to worry about" Jenna said quickly, "James and I had never seen that boy in there until yesterday. We came here from Texas; we tried to get to our mom in Atlanta."

"Save it for tonight" the woman replied soothingly, "So happens, we have an extra tent."

From the way she had said that last bit, it sounded like there was a story behind why the tent was free. Not wanting to push the matter, she just pursed her lips and nodded.

"My name's Andrea, by the way"

"Jenna."

Andrea smiled a little at the introduction before walking toward a camper near the farmhouse. Jenna looked around for a moment; this was the first time she was able to take in the scenery in its entirety. A smile almost found a way onto her face for the first time in months until her eyes met those of her original captor. She tripped over her own feet trying to back away from him, but he caught her by the arm before she could fall.

"Watch where you're goin'" he grumbled letting her go and walking toward the barn.

"I know what you did to Randall" she blurted. The man turned to face her and shrugged before turning back as she continued, "You better not mess my brother up like that. James ain't done anythin' to you and yours."

"Listen up, Little Red" he grumbled walking back over to her, "I ain't 'bout to take orders from some ginger bitch I don't know. Your brother ain't done nothin' to me yet, but the second he gives me lip, I'm gonna make 'im regret it. Just be happy my word ain't shit to these people. If it was, we'da left y'all out on a country road miles from here."

Jenna knew when she needed to be quiet and this was one of those times. Not wanting to really leave James alone with a man like that, as soon as he was in the barn, she snuck around the side to find another way in.


	3. Chapter 3

It didn't take long for Jenna to see that the man with the crossbow was true to his word. When he first entered the barn, he was mostly all over Randall, but the moment James said something smart to him, he bloodied him up. Watching someone hit her brother was hard for her to watch, but letting her presence known to the man didn't seem like a very good idea if she was going to scout these people out. She quickly, but quietly, moved away from the barn and toward the farmhouse where the man she had come to know as Rick stopped her.

"I just wanna make one thing clear," he muttered, his piercing blue eyes making her skin crawl, "Just because we let you out, doesn't mean we trust you completely. Daryl's gone in there to see if your brother will be any trouble. If he says he will be, y'all are gone. I don't care where y'all go, but you're gonna be away from here. You understand that?"

Jenna pursed her lips and nodded; there wasn't much else she could do at this point. When Rick walked away, she let her eyes roam her surroundings. From what she could see, this was nothing more than a settlement. These people were, like her and James, just trying to survive and make a new life in a world full of death. Even as she took in breath, she could smell it. That stench she had grown to know as "fresh air". Nothing about it was fresh at all. With so many rotting corpses around, the smell of their decay lingered in the air and was carried with the wind. It was easy to see why it was so easy for the roamers to know who to attack: just go for the people who don't smell like ass. Though the smell wasn't as strong as it would be if she were near a roamer, it still made her crinkle her nose.

"You smell it, too, huh?" she heard a soft voice coming up next to her. She turned to see a woman with short, grayish looking hair walking toward her.

"Everyone else acts like they don't smell it. But, we're around people who think they're expected to be what they consider strong."

"And what do you consider being strong?" Jenna asked looking over at the woman who seemed to have a world of sadness hidden behind those blue irises. The woman shrugged and closed her eyes as if she was thinking of something. It must have been something positive because she smiled a little before opening them again.

"So many things have changed now" she replied in a whisper, "I guess the definition of that word has, too. It hasn't shown itself to me yet, but it will in time."

The woman smiled a little more and beckoned her toward the tents outside of the farmhouse. These people were strange to Jenna. On one hand, they were willing to do anything they needed to survive including tossing her and James out in the world without a care of what could happen to them. On the other, they seemed to want to help them in any way they could; even giving her a place to sleep when they could have just left her in the barn with James and Randall.

"This is your tent" the woman said gesturing to the tent furthest from the house, "It used to be Andrea's so it should be in good shape."

"Well, where's Andrea sleeping now?"

"The camper."

Jenna had never felt a silence more awkward than this, and that was saying something. She could feel the question form in her head and the words were caught in her throat; she was choking on the desire to know what had happened to the person who had slept in the camper before. But, judging from the solemn look on the woman's face, it wasn't something to be discussed at that time. So, she just smiled and thanked the woman before going into the tent to find fresh clothes waiting for her. A smile formed on her face and she zipped the tent up to change.

Though the clothes were a little loose on her, Jenna was happy to have them; she felt less gross with something clean to wear for once. Just as she had exited her tent, she looked over at the barn to see Daryl walking toward her. He didn't look upset, just gruff. His saunter was that of a man who didn't really know how to carry himself around other people. In other words: he didn't give a shit. This was the man she had watched beat on her brother, but she couldn't find it in herself to be angry with him. Something about him made her want to get to know the person behind the grizzly demeanor and scowl. As he passed, their eyes met for the third time, but this time was different; she didn't want to look away.

Daryl must have felt this strange sensation as well. He slowed his pace for a moment and a glimmer of hope filled Jenna with a feeling she had never experienced before. But, this was short lived; with gruff sigh, Daryl turned his head and walked away. As he disappeared into the house, Jenna almost forgot her brother was in any danger.


	4. Chapter 4

Sweat covered almost every inch of Jenna's body as she lifted herself into her thirtieth push-up. When her arms finally felt like they could do no more, she let out a sigh and rolled over on her back to look up at the sky. A week had passed and James had finally been let out of the barn. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and closed her eyes as the breeze cooled her off. When she couldn't feel the warmth the sun on her face anymore, she opened her eyes again. Daryl was standing over her, his face in its usual contorted state.

"What're you doin'?" he grumbled.

"Pretty sure I'm layin' on the ground" Jenna mumbled in reply, "Could be wrong though."

"Well, get up, smart ass. Your brother's causin' a ruckus."

Jenna sat up quickly, squinting up at Daryl as if trying to see if there was a hint of a lie in his eyes. But, with someone like him, it was difficult to read his constantly pissed looking face. Daryl held his hand out to help her up and she took it. Fighting the urge to keep a hold of him, she moved her hand from his and moved her hair behind her ear.

"What's he doin' now?" she asked with a sigh.

Daryl didn't say anything, but gestured for her to follow him to the barn. She rolled her eyes and went with him knowing that she wouldn't like what he had to show her. James hadn't taken kindly to the group treating them like criminals without any real warrant, and he had made it clear over the last couple of days. Jenna was bothered when she noticed that Daryl was doing his best to keep a distance between him and her. Every time she tried to keep the same pace as him, he either sped up or slowed down. Ever since he made the comment that no one in the group took his word into account, she tried her best to understand that he was pretty introverted and that it would take time for him to warm up to her. But, not even wanting to walk next to her was just plain silly in her eyes. When she started the process of trying to think of a way to talk to him about it, she could already hear her brother's bitching.

"I don't see why I can't just walk around the damned farm without someone treatin' me like a kid who needs a chaperone."

Rick was just standing stoically like a shrink just taking in his patient's never-ending, meaningless issues. Not wanting to make more of a scene than James already had, Jenna just walked quickly over to him and grabbed him by the elbow to pull him aside.

"I thought I told you not to give them a reason to kick us out, Jimmy" she whispered through gritted teeth.

"I ain't gonna be treated like a child by a buncha people I don't even fucking know." He replied angrily.

"Obviously, these people have been through alotta shit. Just like us."

"Don't try to tell me that they've been through close to what we have, Jen."

"Oh get off it, Jim." Jenna sighed with a glance over at the now staring crowd, "Stop acting like our sob story is any more tragic than theirs."

The sound of cracking pulled her attention down to his hands which were balled into fists. His knuckles were white and she could hear him breathing through gritted teeth. Jenna bit down on her bottom lip gently and brought her eyes back to meet his. They were different even though they looked the same as before. His deep blue irises now held a sort of malevolent spirit; it was like something out of a cliché scary movie. She seemed to see the anger pulsating through the usually beautiful muscle. It was evident to her that he was close to exploding with anger, but her feet seemed rooted to the ground, afraid that if she moved even an inch, he would strike her. Then there was the sound of a gun hammer clicking.

"I think it's time you go back to the barn" Daryl grumbled, holding his gun to the back of James's head. Jenna pursed her lips when Daryl signaled for her to move toward him. She walked away from James—his eyes following her—and went to stand behind Daryl. Rick hurried over and grabbed James by the elbow and pulled him back toward the barn. Once they were out of sight, the camp went on functioning as if nothing had even happened. The sad truth about the world in that moment was that it was all too common for someone to lose their head. Daryl looked Jenna over as if he was looking for something to comment on, but he didn't see what he was looking for and turned to walk away from her.

After a moment of trying to take in exactly what had happened, Jenna decided to test Daryl's patience. She walked over to where he was skinning his most recent squirrel kill and stood opposite from him. He glanced up for a second to see who was trying to disturb him and rolled them when he saw it was her.

"What d'ya want?" There was an impatience in his tone that strangely made her smile a little.

"You didn't have to do what you did back there."

"I know."

"So," she said coyly, "Why'd you do it?"

"I know when a man is ready to hit someone" he grumbled in reply, "You ain't on my list of desirables, but a man should never hit a woman."

Jenna was sure that this was the most anyone had ever attempted to get to know Daryl. His gruff demeanor was just a shield; something to keep from people getting too close. In the world they were living in, caring about someone seemed futile. To let themselves get close to people meant leaving them vulnerable to the pain of loss when the people they cared for died. Death was a certain thing in those times. If not by the roamers, then the hundreds of other nomad survivors who only cared about them and their own. Though Daryl's behavior was typical for someone in an environment such as that, she knew that he had been this way long before the breakout. People like him were fascinating to Jenna. They were broken, and she lived for fixing broken things. She moved her hand to rest it on his. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his course yet soft skin under her touch. This was short lived as Daryl quickly retracted his hand from under hers.

He didn't say anything to her about the awkward position they were in, but the look in his cold eyes was enough to cue that he didn't want her there. She pursed her lips and nodded a little.

"I see the way you look at me, Daryl."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She just smiled a little and moved her hair behind her ear. Deciding that this particular conversation was better left for another time, she walked past him, rubbing his arm gently as she passed by.


	5. Chapter 5

"What're you plainnin' on doin' with my brother?" Jenna had decided to wait until Rick cooled off a little before bringing the subject up. She frowned a little at the silence that filled the air instead of an answer. Maggie and Glenn passed through the living room and she waited until she was sure that they were out of earshot before pressing on.

"I know he's been comin' on strong, but you gotta know it ain't how he really is. It's this world—"

"I get that this world changes people" he interjected coldly, "But, I saw the look in his eyes, and so did Daryl"—Jenna shifted nervously at the sound of his name—"He's your brother, I get that, but I'm not gonna allow someone that short tempered to walk around half-cocked. Especially not with my son around."

Knowing that there was nothing more to discuss on the subject, Jenna nodded solemnly and walked out of the house to sit on the porch swing. Lost in her own thoughts, the light shake of someone else sitting on the swing just barely shook her back to reality. She glanced over to see Andrea fiddling with her gun. Andrea looked back at her and smiled a little which was strange since she hadn't seen so much as a smirk on the woman's face since she'd been there.

"Nothing bad's gonna happen to your brother."

"How'd you know that?"

"We aren't barbarians, Jenna. Other than his freak out, James hasn't done anything for us to consider him a real threat." She sighed a little before going on, "So, let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"You're right."

Days passed and James wasn't making Jenna's campaign to get him out of lockdown any easier. There seemed to always be something for him to moan and groan about and Daryl's patience seemed to be wearing down with every passing hour. More than a few times, she saw him leave the barn with an even sourer look on his face than usual and James shouting in the background. The more James shouted, the more Daryl ignored her.

That night, Jenna lay awake in her tent thinking of ways to strike a conversation with Daryl; it proved more difficult than she thought it was going to be. Just when she thought she had come up with something that would be better than not talking to him at all, she heard a commotion outside. She stepped out of her tent to see most of the men taking off into the woods guns in hand. Jenna grabbed Lori by the elbow and pulled her aside to ask what was going on.

"Randall's got out." She answered urgently, "He attacked Shane and now he's gone missing with one of the guns."

Jenna just stared blankly at her trying to process the whole thing. She looked around for Daryl only to realize that he was one of the people searching for the armed escapee. Worry coursed through her veins; what if he got hurt? But, the most important question: why did she care?

There was never a time in her life, even before the outbreak, that she cared about the welfare about someone who wasn't her immediate family. Now here she was sweating bullets over the fate of a man who couldn't care less if she lived or died; Daryl didn't even want to look at her half the time. She tried to shut her mind to the worry, but the effort was done in vain; he was still on her mind. Time seemed to slow down all around her which didn't make the feeling any better. _He'll be fine_. She told herself over, and over again.

Minutes that felt more like hours went by and still no sign of Daryl or the others. She was just about to give up hope that he was alright when she looked out to the woods to see Daryl and Glenn walking back to the house. Her intense worry was quickly replaced with relief and all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and let him know someone cared, but she knew that was something he really wouldn't appreciate. Instead, she ran over to see what news they had about the Randall situation. When he was explaining how he had turned into a roamer without being bitten, she thought she had misheard him. Then there was a single shot which rang out from somewhere in the woods. Time was standing still again; who had been shot? Rick and Shane still hadn't returned which made Lori more nervous than usual. After that, everything went from slow motion to a flash of events.

A herd of roamers had found their way onto the farm grounds. There was chaos everywhere; the blood curdling screams that filled made Jenna's stomach churn. Armed with nothing but a hatchet, she began to cut her way through the crowd of the undead trying to get to the barn which was now set ablaze; she hoped with all her being that James was still alive. Relief found her again when she saw him running toward her from the burning building. What little happiness she felt in that moment was soon gone when a roamer got a hold of him and took a large chunk from his arm. That was it; her brother was gone and she was alone.

Tears stung her eyes as she tried to find a vehicle to commandeer and escape the hell that had found her. But, everything was blurry and incoherent. Everyone else seemed to have already left and she knew she was going to die. Still blinded by her sorrow, Jenna tripped over what felt like a body and looked to see Carol laying lifeless at her feet. She let out a scream and dug her hatchet into the skull of a roamer trying to feed on her. Then there was a loud rumbling noise from behind her; she looked up to see Daryl holding a hand out for her.

"Hurry and get on!"

Jenna grabbed his hand and pulled herself off of the ground and mounted the bike. The moment she wrapped her arms around his waist and felt him putting distance between them and the farm, she felt at ease. She held tightly on to him his leather vest feeling surprisingly comfortable against her face. His steady breathing along with the hum of his motorcycle let her know that she was safe. Daryl was going to take care of her and all would be right.


	6. Chapter 6

The low rumbling of Daryl's cycle was but a quiet hum in the back of Jenna's mind as she sorted through the events of the night before. Her arms tightened around his waist at the memory of James's terror filled eyes when he was taken by the roamers. Trees and wrecked cars passed by in a blur and a sudden lurch of the bike shook her from her thoughts. She lifted her head from Daryl's back to get a better look at their surroundings. Lacing her fingers together to keep a better grip on him, she moved her lips to his ear.

"Where are we goin'?" she asked nervously, keeping an eye out for any nearby roamers. She felt him shrug.

"Dunno" he shouted over the rumbling motorcycle, "Been lookin' for the rest of the group for the last couple of hours, but ain't seen 'em anywhere."

Jenna felt the bike slow to a halt and slowly detached herself from Daryl when she saw him motion for her to get off. His eyes wandered over the scenery before him before coming to rest on Jenna who was waiting patiently for him to speak.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" she asked a little impatiently. Daryl acted as if he hadn't heard her and kept looking around for any sign of a familiar car, but found nothing. He let out a gruff sigh and turned to look at Jenna again. She could see his internal struggle and it was clear that, like her, he had never really had to make a big decision by himself.

"Guess we can ride around some more" he finally replied with a slight shrug, "See if we can find 'em anywhere. They're probably stickin' to the highway to see if we can regroup. We should be good 'til tomorrow. After shit hittin the fan like it did last night, they can't expect us to get back together right away."

"What if they leave us?"

"They won't."

"But, what if they do?"

"Then I guess we'll be on our own."

Jenna bit her lip nervously and nodded in agreement before looking around. The air was still and there was no sign of life around them; the quiet made her nervous. She felt a tap on her arm and looked to see Daryl mounting the bike again. He held it steady as Jenna situated herself behind him and locked her arms securely around his waist.

"You ain't gotta monkey-back me the whole time." He muttered kicking the engine to life. Jenna shrugged and rested her cheek against his back.

"If I fall off, you're comin' with me."

Hours passed and sun was sinking low in the distance and there was still no sign of the rest of the group. With the sound of Daryl's bike echoing through the air, Jenna began to worry that they would draw unwanted attention to themselves, especially since the roamers were most active at night. She tapped lightly on his shoulder and felt them slow to a halt.

"I think we should stop for the night" she whispered calmly, "Don't think we're gonna find anyone tonight."

Daryl nodded and pointed toward a nearby delivery van.

"I'll see if it's clear and we'll stay in it for the night. It's gonna get cold; don't wanna be outside." He mumbled as he killed the bike engine. Jenna climbed off after him and watched nervously as he peered through the van's windows and tapped on its sides. She let out a sigh of relief when he gestured for her to join him in the back of the van.

It was roomier than she thought it would be. The previous owner must have only brought the bare essentials and dumped the van when the highway was overrun. Daryl sat in the corner opposite of her and looked out of the window as if keeping an eye out for any danger. Jenna stared at him admiring the way his eyes glistened in the moonlight. When he turned to look at her, she quickly moved her gaze to her lap and twiddled her thumbs. She heard him let out a gruff breath and looked at him again.

"You don't have to look away from me every time I look at ya" he mumbled picking at a loose thread in his jeans. Jenna scoffed and played with her hair nervously.

"I dunno what you're talkin' about."

"Like hell you don't."

Jenna pursed her lips and looked away for a moment. What did she have to lose? James was gone and even if she scared Daryl away by confessing her feelings for him, she wouldn't be any more alone than she was in that moment. The only difference there would be is that she wouldn't have to walk on eggshells around a man who might or might not care about her at all. She brought her eyes back to his and shrugged slightly.

"I might like you a little." She murmured causing him to narrow his eyes.

"No ya don't."

"Don't try tellin' me what I do or don't feel, Daryl Dixon." Jenna snapped back, "Too many people have done that in the past and I'll be damned if you start."

Daryl grimaced and looked out of the window again seemingly deep in thought. Then he looked at her again, his blue eyes somehow more intense even in the darkness.

"Fine," he grumbled, "ya shouldn't."

"Why?"

"I don't want ya to."

"Now _that's _a bold faced lie."

She moved a little closer to him and rested her hand on his, but he quickly pulled it away. For a moment, she just stared down where his hand used to be before slowly moving her gaze to meet his.

"Why're you so scared of me?" she asked gently making his face scrunch.

"I ain't scared of you."

"Fine," she spat, "you just sit there and act like I don't matter. I'm goin' to sleep now."

She turned her back to him and laid down staring at the wall of the van. Daryl seemed to be situating himself to sleep as well and she began to pick at the rust on the wall. What happened next made her mind to cloudy with happiness that she almost couldn't see straight. She felt a strong arm snake around her and the warmth of Daryl's body against her back. Smiling a little, she placed her hand over his and laced their fingers together. Not a word was spoken and she fell into the best night's sleep she had had since the world went to Hell.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Jenna woke to find her face buried into Daryl's chest. His steady breathing and the way his fingers absently stroked the small of her back let her know that he was still in a deep sleep. She closed her eyes again trying to let his heartbeat lull her back to sleep; she didn't want it to be morning, because morning meant that they would have to get up and let go of each other. But, when she failed to go back to sleep, she decided that it would be best to go outside to stretch her legs and get ready for another day of searching for the rest of the group. First, she'd have to find a way out of Daryl's arms without waking him up. But, the second she tried to slide out from under his arm, she felt his grip tighten on her. There was an inaudible grumble followed by a sigh and he loosened his hold again. Jenna could tell that he was embarrassed by his decision to act on his impulse to sleep next to rather than away from her. Though the act of quickly moving his arms away from her and moving to open the back doors of the van was not an act of disgust, she couldn't help but feel tightness in her chest at his sudden distance.

There were no words exchanged that morning as they looked around for any sign of the group. Jenna pursed her lips and silently took her seat behind Daryl on the bike, this time sitting upright with her hands lightly gripping his sides as opposed to her usual "monkey-back" position. Her solemn attitude was soon lifted when her eyes came to rest on a car she had seen Glenn and Maggie drive off in the night the farm was lost. They came to a stop and Daryl went to look around to see if he could find a way to track where they had gone.

"Looks like there's some tracks goin' into the woods" he said thoughtfully. Deciding that there was no other option, they moved toward the forest. Daryl pulled a large buck knife from a side holster and handed it to Jenna. She moved it around in her hand for a moment before accepting that this was the only weapon he had to spare. After a good thirty minutes of walking in silence, Jenna chose to tell him what she had been thinking about since the outbreak.

"Those religious nuts who go on about this shit bein' the 'wrath of God' might have the right idea" she mumbled, when Daryl looked at her, she went on, "Did you know that over in countries like Romania and China believe that if you don't bury the dead right, they come back to take revenge on the living? They come back because they're pissed that we're alive and they're not."

"That's all a buncha bullshit." Daryl replied with a scoff.

"A couple years ago, you probably thought the idea of zombies chasin' you down was bullshit."

Daryl looked as though he was going to say something, but shut his mouth and nodded.

"Maybe this all started with improper burials. Maybe the dead are back for their revenge."

"How's that explain that it's spread through bites?"

"The dead can't take over without an army."

"You're a weird one."

Jenna just smiled and nodded in agreement. She thought spending time with him after the awkwardness they felt when he woke up would feel weird, but it was no different than it was before. Now she just knew that he cared more about her than he'd like to admit. Just as she was going to ask him about his reaction to her that morning, they came across an old house nestled in a small clearing.

"Well, how many forest people do you have in this damn state?" Jenna asked gawking at the run-down building.

"The real hicks come out here for better huntin'" Daryl replied pointing at the front porch, "Looks like we've got some squirrel lovers."

There was a line of rotting squirrel carcasses strung up across the railing of the porch. Jenna grinned and nudged his arm.

"You kin to them?"

Daryl scoffed and fought back a smile, shaking his head a little.

"Where're you from anyway?" he asked as they cautiously approached the house, "Louisiana?"

"Close," she answered, "Texas. Born and raised in Killeen." –Daryl raised a brow—"It's a couple hours from Austin."

When they came closer to the house, Daryl held his finger to his lips and Jenna got quiet. They crept silently toward the rickety driftwood house with Daryl taking the lead. He held a hand up to stop her while he went ahead with his crossbow in hand. Jenna could hear the creaking of floorboards on the front porch as she waited against the side of the house. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a sudden silence, one lone creak, and then the scuffling of a struggle. She gripped the handle of the large buck knife Daryl had given her. When she moved to see what was happening, she was stopped dead when she heard him shout from inside.

"Jenna, run!"

She moved to run into the surrounding forest, but her feet wouldn't budge. Whether it was shock or the reluctance to leave Daryl behind, she didn't know. It wasn't until she heard the sound of heavy footsteps hurrying toward her that her instinct kicked in and she took off toward the thickness of the trees. There was a loud grunt and a _THUD _from behind her and then she felt a strong grip on her leg and fell to the ground. Jenna could feel the dirt and twigs digging into her skin as she tried to fight the large, bear-like man off. When she moved to punch him, he just laughed as he swatted her hands away.

"You've got some fight in ya" he grumbled standing up and hoisting her to her feet, "I like that."

When he realized that he wouldn't get her into the house without a struggle, he slung her over his shoulder doing his best to ignore her shouts of protest and the beating of her fists against his back. The sudden lack of sunlight let her know that she was in the old house and her stomach twisted into knots. She heard the sound of a chair being drug across the floor and was thrown onto a hard wooden rocking chair. Before she could even think of trying to run, the man had her wrists duct taped to the arms of the chair and her ankles to its legs. She looked up to see Daryl sitting in a chair across from her, his face bloodied and his chest rising and falling with his rapid breaths. The man who caught her stepped in front of her obscuring her view, twirling Daryl's knife in his fingers.

"This is a big knife for a lil' girl." He grumbled. It wasn't until she heard a low chuckle from the other room that she knew he wasn't alone. She winced away from him when she felt the coolness of the blade against her cheek.

"Don't touch her!"

Daryl's sudden outburst made Jenna jump and the man smile. He turned to look at Daryl and then back at her and laughed a little as he continued, "What, are y'all fuckin'?"—Jenna pursed her lips and Daryl averted his eyes—"Ah, I'm sensin' alotta sexual tension goin' on here."

"Maybe the bitch thinks she's too good for guys like us." The other man seemed ready to make his presence known, "We oughtta loosen her up a little."

"You're right Willie" the larger man replied, "Since it was your idea, you get first go."

The man they now knew as Willie smiled brightly and hurried to drag Jenna and her chair out of the room. Daryl shouted for them to let her go and filled the air with threats if they should so much as look at her wrong, but all the large man did was laugh.

"Will's a little shy," he mumbled ruffling Daryl's hair, "but I'm gonna make sure you see everything I have in store for that little thing."

Jenna could hear Daryl's muffled curses from the room she was now alone in with Willie. His eyes were filled with a sort of sinister hunger that made her insides turn over. She moved to run to the door, but Willie pulled Daryl's knife out and shook his head.

"You're not goin' anywhere" he grinned, "You're gonna strip for me first. I ain't seen a woman in a long time, so we're gonna make this good."

It was clear to Jenna that he wasn't the smartest man in the world, but most certainly wasn't the dumbest. She had to play her cards right. If she seemed too eager to comply with him, he would know she was trying to fool him. She had to seem weaker than she actually was. Willie seemed an easy enough target to take head-on, but she had to make it quiet. If she wanted to take the other one out, it would have to be a blitz attack. Keeping this in mind, she slowly and reluctantly stripped down to her underwear. Willie's face broke into a crooked smile as he grabbed her by the hips and pushed her against the wall. His breath was foul and his body odor made her want to vomit, but when he forced his lips against hers, she only slightly struggled. He pulled her arms around him to bring them closer together as he let his hands roam her body. She rubbed his back gently as his command and moved her hands down to the back pockets of his jeans where she felt the knife. Before he could say anything, she quickly pulled it out and stuck in the small of his back.

"Feel the numbness in your legs?" she asked snidely while he sunk to the floor, "I just paralyzed your sorry ass."

She pulled the knife out and pushed him to the floor before climbing on top of him. A smile found its way on her face while she straddled him and rubbed his blood on his shirt. He opened his mouth to speak when she plunged the knife into his chest. For a moment, he just laid there, his eyes staring wildly at her. And when she pulled the knife from him, he let out one last breath before his eyes went from a stunning green, to soulless and empty. Jenna wiped his blood on his shirt again before redressing and opening the door quietly. She could hear the other man taunting Daryl with scenarios of what Willie might be doing to her at that moment. When she entered the living room, Daryl pursed his lips and looked down as if ashamed of what he was hearing.

"I'm wonderin' why they ain't made a peep." The man mumbled. When he turned to walk to the room, Jenna rushed him and sunk the knife into his heart as she had to Willie. Tears stung the backs of her eyelids as he fell to the ground, dead. She pulled the knife from him and hurried to cut Daryl's binds. Almost the second she cut the last bit of duct tape, Daryl jumped from the chair and pulled Jenna into his arms. Jenna buried her face into his chest and closed her eyes. Then, she felt him move his hands to her face; he moved her face to his and kissed her lips with such a passion she had never experienced before.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl's kiss was more tender than Jenna had expected it to be. After the initial kiss, he treated her like she could break at any moment. His touch was so light on her bare skin that it made her ache for more and controlling the urge to just jump on him more and more difficult. The second she felt him lift her from the ground, she moved her legs tightly around his waist pulling her body as close to his as possible. They moved to the room across the hall from the now lifeless corpse of her would-be assailant and shut the door as if privacy was an issue.

She moved her hands from his face to his neck as his moved timidly up her sides making her skin tingle. It was surprising to her how such shy movements could make her want him more. Daryl seemed to be in tune with her feelings as he moved his lips to the nape of her neck nibbling on her skin gently. Her body quivered under his as she moved to pull his shirt off quickly. Jenna tightened her legs around him and could already feel his hardness under her. She smiled a little and brought his lips back to hers as she undid his jeans and slipped her hand under them to grip his dick gently. A silent gasp escaped him before he moved to set her on a dusty dresser. They pulled away for just a moment to remove her underwear but their lips were soon drawn to each other again like magnets. She snaked her legs around his waist again and could feel his hardness rubbing gently on her clit. Daryl moved a hand down to the wetness between her thighs and started to rub her shyly causing her to pull him even closer to her. Jenna bit on his bottom lip gently when she felt him breaking the kiss again.

"This might be a stupid as hell question to ask" he said breathlessly, "but are you sure you wanna do this?"

Jenna took a moment to analyze his face before tightening her legs to pull him into her and eliminate what little gap there was between them. Daryl smiled a little and leaned in to kiss her again as he moved in and out of her slowly. She let out a small moan when she felt his pace quickening. In a split second, timid Daryl had vanished and a whole new one arrived. He moved a hand to her breast and gripped onto it tightly as he moved himself deeper into her. Jenna gripped onto the edge of the dresser trying to hold back more audible moans. Almost as soon as she blinked, she found that he had moved them to the floor. The hardwood was cool against her bare back as he thrusted into her. She could feel him throbbing inside of her and moved her hands to his back to pull his body closer to hers. Deciding that it was her turn to dominate, she gently pushed him off of her and onto his back before climbing on top of him. He bit his bottom lip gently as she lowered herself onto him. Daryl placed his hands on her hips rubbing them gently with his thumbs while she grinded herself on him. She sat up straight as she rode him; he leaned up to gently lick and suck on her nipple making her moan a little louder than she wanted to. Then she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back down and began to ride him harder. Jenna could feel small beads of sweat on his skin as both of their breathing became laboured. She tightened herself around him when she felt that he was about to cum and let out one last quiet moan when she felt his seed spill into her. Being with him in that moment made her feel more euphoric than she had ever been in her life; being with him made her realize that she had been living without an important part of her life and Daryl was that important part.

As she slowed her pace to look into those deep blue eyes, she couldn't help but smile at him. He seemed confused as to why she was smiling, but said nothing and moved a hand to rub the small of her back tenderly. She leaned down to kiss his lips gently before resting her head on his chest. His heart was pounding and the rising and falling of his chest relaxed her even more. She could feel him running his fingers gently through her hair making her close her eyes in comfort. Everything about Daryl was right to her; facing a world of chaos didn't seem so bad if she had the chance to spend it with him.

"Jenna"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."


End file.
